AU 
US 
CA 
DE 
ES 
FR 
IT 
PT 
DA 
SV 
NL 
RO 
PL 
FI 
HU 
NB 
EL 
TR 
UK 
CS Majorca Car Hire
Find the best deals in Majorca
With a massive choice from the biggest brands, Enjoy the best way to find the best prices for car hire in Majorca.
- Huge choice of cars to suit every budget
- Save up to 70% compared to buying on the day
- 10 years experience in car hire
Compare Car Hire in Majorca
Known as the larger island of the four in the Balearic’s and also a popular spot for young tourists looking to party, Mallorca is an idyllic destination with sunny beaches and boat parties, but it’s not all just fun and sun. Here’s a more comprehensive guide that will hopefully dispel some myths that it’s all just for the youth.
- Mallorca is the largest island in Spain, located in the Balearic sea. Its neighbours are the famous Ibiza, Menorca, its smaller cousin and the lesser known Formentera.
- The capital city is Palma de Mallorca and was founded as a camp for Romans’ upon a Talaiotic settlement.
- The population of the island is over 850,000 and half of that figure live within the capital Palma.
- The local language is mainly Catalan although a lot do speak Spanish and with the constant influx of tourists they are very accommodating with their ability to converse in English as well.
- The island has played host to many a famous person like Rafael Nadal who was born there, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones who lived there. Other notable people that have called this island home are English novelist Jeffrey Archer, Miquel Barcelo a contemporary painter who fashioned sculptures for the Palma Cathedral and Jean Emile Oosterlynck, famous Flemish painter who lived and died on the island.
- The name was originally from the Classic Latin insula maior which means ‘Larger Island’ this was then contemporised to become Maiorca ‘The Larger One’.
- The city has been passed from hand to hand by other countries and was a stronghold for Italian fascists up until 1950. Around this time a change came and the advent of mass tourism became the main source of income for the island, this attracted workers from mainland Spain.
- Speed limits are in km/h and road signs are generally in Spanish. The limits range from 50km/h in urban areas up to 120km/h on the freeways.
- It is a must to have your driving license and also an IDP(International Drivers Permit) anytime you are operating a vehicle on the island.
- Minimum age to drive a car is 18. Additional fees apply for under 25s when renting a car.
- Child safety seats must be used for children under 135cm in height or if they are under 12 years of age.
- The currency in Mallorca is the euro.
Guide to Majorca
Majorca beaches, sea, sun, sand
Mallorca is not all sun and beaches, although they do boast some of the greatest in the Mediterranean, if not, the world. It is drenched in culture outside of revelling, there are countless historical sites, parks, UNESCO world heritage sites and then of course the party towns and endless clubbing that some of the island is incredibly well known for. So where to start? Well why not begin with the food.
Famous breakfast dish, Ensaimada
One of the most famous dishes that is available in the great island of Mallorca is the breakfast dish that apparently can only be made properly on the island, it’s the sea air that assists the pastry, its known as the Ensaimada. The dish is a spiralled yeast pastry bun that is dusted with icing sugar and filled with cream or apricots, sometimes even filled with Sobrasada which is a Mallorcan sausage of sorts. A few of the most well-known spots to grab some of this deliciousness are places like Can Joan de S’aigo which there are 3 locations in Palma, the patisserie Forn d’Espont where the surprises come with the pumpkin sweet version, then there is the award winning patisserie Forn i Pastisseria Gelabert home to the dish and they will fill it with cream and strawberries till the heart is satisfied, a little bit of a drive from the centre of Palma.
Breakfast is done so now time to get into some of that incredibly important contested history. Start with a wander through the medieval town of Palma and you’ll find yourself bumping into that history because there’s so damn much of it. The Palma Cathedral or La Seu for instance, the gothic cathedral with the second highest nave in all of Europe, when it comes to Gothic cathedrals. Take a day trip to the increasingly popular traditional fishing village of Port de Soller, this is about a half hour drive from Palma but rewards await in the form of glorious fish restaurants that will make the taste buds sing with fresh delights. Starting with the waterfront, up market, delectability of Es Passeig where the dishes are filled with fresh seafood like the open California roll that is made using prawns from Soller itself, the menu is a little adventurous with dishes like Steamed Duck Dim Sum with Shiitake mushrooms but is quite traditional when they bring it home with Roasted fillet of Majorcan fish and saffron sauce. Slipping away from the nouveau and into the more traditional Kingfisher where they will pour the traditional fish into your belly. Their classics of Grilled Octopus with the compulsory Romesco sauce or the Cod Fillet ‘Firo De Soller’ with herbed couscous and a Pepperonata ragout lay themselves out for your pleasure.
Enough of lunching now time to beach the shoulders off. So many options here for sunning, whether the want is to be around the masses or sneak into a tucked away cave for some swimming in the birthday suit, Mallorca will provide. Coming in at around a whopping two kilometres is the first beach on every holidaymakers list, Es Trenc, this beach has managed to sustain its beauty by being declared part of the national park. Its shallow blue waters and untamed terrain are protected for all to enjoy. It’s about a fifty minute drive but its around 100 on the rewards scale. The most packed beach on the island during the summer time is Magaluf beach, a warning that this is where all the party goers are. Forgetting the madness that is Magaluf and presenting the picturesque setting that has been voted best beach in Europe at one stage, S’Aramador comes splashing in, providing the much sought after turquoise waters and rocky coves to fulfil all fantasies.
Majorca nightlife
Whole day of history, food and beaching has been completed now its time to hit the town till all hours. Start the night at Sifoneria where drinks are mixed using syphons and the seats are from the crates. Loads of local wines and vermouth at reasonable prices. Next up on the pavement adventures is Abaco Cocktail Bar, which is situated in the old town, La Llonja, this place is a portal into how the island was enjoyed before, its cocktails and history in one. Finally Mallorca can’t be attended without visiting a club or a few, heading off to Tito’s International Club which has been featured in a couple of movies, it houses the usual VIP area and largish dance floor with balcony space on offer and even a VIP DJ experience, it has the look of a casino but still pumps the tunes. Next up Garito Bar and Club which opens around 19:00 and spills out onto the square. The background tunes are usually jazzy early on with the house coming around a little later, once warmed up, on the weekends they continue into the early hours with a 04:00 closing time. Round the list off with the wildest that can be attended, the most famous and largest nightclub on the island BCM Planet Dance, which from outside looks like a shopping mall, inside is packed with people and djs from all over the world, not one for the faint of heart.
History of Majorca
Habitation of this island dates back as far as the prehistoric settlements with the earliest signs of inhabitants being around 6000 – 4000 BC. Traces from the Neolithic period have been discovered that steer toward the ancient settlements of the Talaiots or Talayots. They were here during the Bronze age and raised structures that included burial chambers and defensive towers, it is said that the original inhabitants were a protection focussed race which is why they built so many of their towers or Talayots.
The next inhabitants of the island were supposedly the Phoenicians, seafaring people that would’ve had close to no knowledge of the Talaiots as the Phoenicians arrived in the 8th century. They birthed many colonies and eventually were under control of Carthage, North Africa. After a long drawn out 17 year war, the Second Punic War, the Phoenicians lost all of their possessions and the island was then ruled by the stars of colonisation at the time, The Romans. As per usual Roman habitation cities were established and Palma was born. It was named Palmaria at the time and the name dates back to around 120 BC. Salt mining, olive cultivation and viticulture were some of the trades that were established by the Romans on the island at this time.
It was smooth sailing for the Romans until around 427 AD when Gunderic King of Hasding Vandals and his Vandals, sacked the town of Palma and subsequently took control of the island. The King and his vandals used it as a base to loot and plunder settlements in and around the Mediterranean till the feisty Romans took it back in 465. It was then that Christianity began to flourish with countless churches being built.
The island continued to be fraught with disaster with Romans being attacked from the south by Muslim raiders from North Africa around 707 AD. Palma, for a while, became a predominantly Muslim town where the agriculture was improved through the introduction of irrigation.
Jumping ahead into what is known as the more modern era, the island again became the subject of much fighting amongst the Spaniards and North Africans who were known as The Barbary, in and around 1479. This continued on way into the 16th Century when the Spaniards even considered leaving the Balearic islands altogether.
Closer to today, last century the island became a stronghold for the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War which lasted for 3 years. Republicans attempted to drive the Nationalists from their home but with stern support from The Italian Fascists, the Nationalists air attacks were bolstered up and they won their island yet again. This is what is referenced when the Battle of Majorca is spoken about.
In 1983 Palma became the capital of the autonomous region that is the Balearic islands.
As with all of this region the history is complex and long. This is an abridged version of that history with more intricate details omitted.
Nightlife in Majorca
Whole day of history, food and beaching has been completed now its time to hit the town till all hours. Start the night at Sifoneria where drinks are mixed using syphons and the seats are from the crates. Loads of local wines and vermouth at reasonable prices. Next up on the pavement adventures is Abaco Cocktail Bar, which is situated in the old town, La Llonja, this place is a portal into how the island was enjoyed before, its cocktails and history in one.
Finally Mallorca can’t be attended without visiting a club or a few, heading off to Tito’s International Club which has been featured in a couple of movies, it houses the usual VIP area and largish dance floor with balcony space on offer and even a VIP DJ experience, it has the look of a casino but still pumps the tunes.
Next up Garito Bar and Club which opens around 19:00 and spills out onto the square. The background tunes are usually jazzy early on with the house coming around a little later, once warmed up, on the weekends they continue into the early hours with a 04:00 closing time. Round the list off with the wildest that can be attended, the most famous and largest nightclub on the island BCM Planet Dance, which from outside looks like a shopping mall, inside is packed with people and djs from all over the world, not one for the faint of heart.
Majorca's Airport - Palma De Mallorca (PMI)
There is only one airport on the island and its name is Palma de Mallorca Airport(PMI), its located around 8.5 km’s from the capital, Palma. In 2018 the airport had over 29 million passengers pass through its gates and when compared with the under one million people living on the island it’s clear to see that tourism is a major part of the economy. You can fly from and to 50 domestic routes. There are flights for around 390 destinations internationally. Even though it is an island airport its deceptively large with the following available, 3 VIP lounges, 38 restaurants and cafeterias, 9,521 parking spaces, 192 check-in counters and 83 boarding gates, it seems enough to satisfy any traveller from everywhere.
Hiring a car in Palma De Mallorca Airport
With such a lavish area for an island airport you will not be surprised that car hire is a plenty. All the large names in car hire are there with physical desks, those being, Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, Europcar, Goldcar, Sixt and Interent. When it comes to a more local brand there are companies that have pickup points at the airport but no physical desks, those being Centauro, Record go and OK rent a car.
Brief History of the Airport
Palma de Mallorca Airport has another name as well Son Sant Joan Airport. Built in the 1920s to serve as a postal stop for the other Balearic islands the airport has a rich history with its grounds being used as a military base from 1938. After the war the airport was expanded to allow for more airlines to arrive there which then led to the construction of a second terminal. The second terminal was opened in 1960 for domestic and international civilian travel. The airport reached a million passengers flying through it by early 1960 which was cause for more improvement taking it closer into the constructed island, four terminal, behemoth that it is today.
Top Tips when hiring a car in Majorca
● Many users found Palma de Mallorca car rental options for less than £20 per day.
● Booking your rental car in Mallorca in advance even if it's by at least 1 day before your trip ensures you'll get much better car hire deals.
● It's highly recommended you go to the Palma de Mallorca Airport for your hire car because they are very cheaper compared to most car hire providers in off-airport locations such as the city centre.
● The car hire desks of the car hire companies in the Palma Airport are located at the terminal building and are very easily accessible. They are all in the same place so even if you're looking for a specific car rental company, you're bound to find it there.
● The reason it's recommended to go for the Palma Airport car hire besides the car hire prices, is because then you can start exploring the island as soon as you set foot out of the Palma de Majorca Airport.
● Thus a Mallorca Airport car hire is not just economic with unchallenged car rental prices, but also convenient, due to the accessibility of the car hire companies in the terminal building. If you're looking for cheap car hire in Palma then they should be your first stop.
● Car hire models that are small and compact are the most popular car rental options in Mallorca according to most car rental companies on the island.
● Compact car hire models found in the Airport make for the best car hire deals in the island.
● When you visit the car hire company make sure you're prepared. You'll need a valid international driving permit and should be well informed about the island.
● With your own car hire you'll get the chance to explore the island at your own pace. You must visit all the remote and interesting places of this beautiful island such as the white sandy beaches, Bellver Castle and many others.